Dispenser cartons



March 1, 1960 "r. E. MARION DISPENSER CARTONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 4, 1957 INVENTOR THOMAS E. MARION ATTORNEY March 1, 1960 Filed Sept. 4, 1957 T. E. MARION 2,926,813

DISPENSER CARTONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 22 25 7L i n t FIG. 7. i i

5 25 I ll I J I 38 I 4 49 49 E 49 I -5o 38 3a w 5 III i 24 INVENTOR THOMAS 1s. MARION ATTORNEY 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 4, 1957 FIG. u. a as 3 2/ u mm m mm A E S i A M o m I W. 3 8 2 2 2/ March 1, 1960 T. E. MARION DISPENSER CARTONS Filed Sept. 4, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 H613. INVENTOR THOMAS E. MARION BY W Aid/M ATTORNEY March 1, 1960 T. E. MARION DISPENSER CARTONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 4, 1957 FIG. l8.

FIG. l6.

FIG. l7.

IN V EN TOR. THOMAS E MARION ATTORNEY 'may be disposed i DiSPENSER CARTONS Thomas Marion, Baltimore, Md, a ssignor to Joseph Shapiro, Baltimore, Md. 7 2 Application September 4, 1957, SerialNo. 681,976 3 Claims. (CL 221;43

This invention relates to paper or cardboard cartons and it is more particularly concerned with such cartons which are adapted to contain a plurality of articles and which contains structural modifications. in the carton to support the articles therein and at the same time permit the removal of the articles one atatime.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of such a carton having dispensing features associated therewith to permit removal of the contents unit by unit the while maintaining support for the contents as a whole.

Another object of the invention. is the provision of such a carton and dispensing feature in which no additional materials or elements are needed apart from the carton itself. I

A further object of the invention is the provision of such .a dispensing carton which has particular application to paper cups.

A'fstill further objecto f theinvention is the provision of a dispensing carton of the type-mentioned which is simple 'and easy to useand inexpensive to manufacture. t I p A still furtherobject is the provision of such a dispensing carton the use of which does not require the violation of sanitary conditions under. which the articles nthe carton.

These and other objects, advantages and features of theinvention will be apparentfrom the following description considered conjunetively with the accompanying drawing. t i

Fig. l is a .perspectiveviewjof one embodiment of this. invention: applied to acarton of nested paper "cups with the carton closed and the dispensing features in the non-operative position. i

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l with the carton in the process of being opened and with the dispensing features in the operative position.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the fully opened carton with the dispensing features in operative position, the carton being supported in its normal upright position for use as a dispenser.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section along the line 44 of Fig. 3 on a larger scale, with all except the lowermost cup of the stack removed.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a diagonal section of a fragmentary portion along the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the bottom cup in a partially withdrawn position.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the top part of the carton in the partially open position for hanging.

Fig. 9 is an inside corner view in perspective of one of the holding elements showing in dotted hnes the dead center point between its operative and non-operative positions.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 9 with the carton in a partially opened position and the dispensing feature inoperative position.

Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. l ofa further em= bodiment of the invention;

.Fig. 13 is a frontelevational view, partly broken away, of the embodiment of Fig. l2 in operative position.

Fig/14 is a transverse'sectional view along the line 14-14 of Fig. 13 on an enlarged scale=, with all ex cept one of the cups removed. I

Fig. 15 is a section along the line 15-15 of Fig. 14. Fig. 16 is a .view similar to Fig. 1 of a modified embodiment.

Fig. 17 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of the same modi lied embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a view similar to Fig. 6 of the same modified embodiment.

Referring with more particularity to the drawing in which like numerals designate like parts, the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 9 comprises an elongated tubular carton 21 having sidewalls 22, 23, 24, and 25; upper. end flaps 26, 27, 28 and 29 as upper extensions of theside Walls; and lower ends flaps 30, 31, 3 2, and

a 33 aslower extensions of the side walls, respectively,

these and flaps being folded and provided with interlocking means 34 in ai conventional manner, as shown, to form closures. One of the upper end flaps 29 has an aperture-'35 therein to permit hanging thecarton from a nail 36 on a Wall or'other suitable support. The contents of the carton, such as the paper cups37 with flexible rims 38, are stacked in nested relation, f as illustrated,

with the bottom of the stack projecting downwardly To facilitate gaining access to the cups, the fold lines 39, 40, 41 and 42 between the sidewalls and the bottom end flaps are perforated or scored; thereby permitting these flaps to be quickly, neatly and easily removed by simply tearing them Oh along these lines, as shown in Fig. 2. i a e e v At a point below the position of the rim of the lowermostcup 'of the stack-the carton is provided at each of its corners with perforatedor otherwise severable lines and fold .=lines t'op'ermit a reversing of a portion of the corner edges. These lines consist of an uppermost perforated line 43 extending from the corner edge of the carton in each case to either side thereof in the adjacent walls. Vertical perforated lines 44 and 45 extend from the end of the upper perforated line 43 downwardly. From the bottom of the lines 44 and 45 angular fold or scored lines 46 and 47, respectively, converge downwardly to a point 48 on the corner edge.

As a result of this construction the convex portion 49 delineated by these perforated and fold lines when pushed inwardly will reverse itself and become a concave, troughlike member projecting radially inward. This reversal of the portion 49 causes it to pass through a median or dead center position as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 9, from which it snaps into its final operative positron.

The resulting trough-shaped portion has a lowermost edge 50 and the perforated and folded lines are so proportioned that this edge 50 makes an obtuse angle with the side wall of the lowermost cup in the stack so that the weight of the stack coming in contact therewith will tend to keep the section in its inner operative position rather than to cam it upwardly and outwardly into a nonoperative position. In this manner, the stack of oups is firmly supported under its own weight. However, since the cups individually have flexible edges, the lowermost cup can be removed while the stack as a whole is under this support, simply by grasping the lowermost cup and pulling itdown. The outer rim or-lip edges 38 of the cup fiex inwardly at these support points, as shown in Fig. 7, and hence the cups can be passed around while the st'ackzas a whole. remains supportedthereby; i

These reversible portions 49 may be provided'at any convex area of a carton, irrespective of whether the .convex ,area is' formed by rectilinear or curvilinear'parts. Also, any desired number of such portions-may be used in; any particular case, so long asthe necessary support is provided for the stack of material. The sizes of these reversible portions may also be varied for any particular purposes. .r. The embodiment illustrated in'Figs. 1'0 and-11 is substantiallythe same .as that shown in' Figs. 1"to 9, except that the tear lines 39, 40, 41-:and 42 at .thezedg'es between the side walls and endflap's are dispensed with and, instead, a perforated teari line SI'is'prov'ided completely encircling the carton at a point between the bottom flaps and the reversible portions. "Thus,thebottom 'ofthe carton can be quickly opened by simply grasping theportion 52 of the carton below the tear 'line and twisting it off as shown in Fig. 11, instead of opening the bottom flaps and tearing off each one separately. 1

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 12 to l5,thelsections formed by .the perforated and'fold lines are disposed on the sidewalls of the carton between the corners, rather than at the corners. ,Two or more of these sections may be provided and each of themcomprises a bottom fold line 53, a pair of vertical perforated lines 54" and 55 extending npwardly fromthe ends of the fold line 53, and stepped perforated horizontal lines 56, 56 and 57 joined by vertical perforated lines 58, 58 forming an upper tab portion 59 at the top of an otherwise rectangular section 60. By pushing the section and tab portion inwardly, they become disconnected from the wall'of the carton along the perforated lines and hinged downwardly along the fold line 53 with the tab portion 59 reversed in the bottom position. This tab portion is disposed in a slit 61 below the fold line 53, the distance therebetween being lessthanthe distance between the fold line and the perforated lines 56,. .56 so as to cause the section 60 to assume a curved shape, as shown in, Fig. 15, thereby forming an upwardly facing arched shoulder 62 in alignment with the underside of the cup rims, whereby the stack 37 as a whole canbe supported by these shoulders and yet permit the lowermost cup of the stack to be removed-as in thelcase ofthe previously described embodiments. i.

The embodiment of Figs. 16,-.17 and 18 is the same as those of'Figs. 1 to 11, except that the delineated areas 42 are made somewhat longer and provided with a horizontal fold line 65 in spaced relation below the top per- "foratedline 43." 'Amedial verticalperforated'line 64' is also provided between the lines 43 and 63 along the comer edge of the box. As a result of these added features, the outer edges of the portion 49 adjacent the lowermost cup of the stack is lipped over as shown in Fig. 18 to form flaps 65 and 66 to lie along the exterior surface of the cup and thus oppose any tendency of the section '49 to move back ltoits non-operative position.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A one piece' carton for a stack of nestedconical paper cups, said cups having individually fiexilble rims, said carton comprising cardboard .walls forming an elongated container forthe cups, said (walls having extensions therefrom forming" a group 'of' closure flaps at each of the ends of the container, the flaps at one end being presented as the top .and the flaps at the other end being presented as the bottom of the carton, said-walls haying areas thereof delineated jbyj perforatedand told lii'ies," said areas being adapted to be separated from the' remaining portions ofthe walls along. the perforated lines and hinged inwardlyalon'gthe foldilines to'form? abutments for 'supporting the stack as a whole at the bottom thereof against the pull of gravity but permitting the removal ofthe lowermost cup of the stack by a force greater than the pull of gravity, said delineated portions being also provided with fold lines and cut lines to form flap extensions at the outer extremities of the abutments to contact and lie along the exterior sunface of the lowermost cup of the stack and oppose by such contact any tendencyof the said portion to returnto its non-operative'po'sition.

2. A one-piece carton as definedby claim )1 in which the delineated portions are each formedat a corner'of the carton.

3. A one-piececarton as defined by claim'2 in which the delineated portions are each boundedlbyl an upper perforated line across a corner of the carton, vertical perforated lines extending downwardly from the ends ,of the horizontal lines and converging angular fold lines'extending downwardly and inwardly from the lower ends of the vertical lines.

References Cited'in the:fileo f this patent N T D STATEsLrATENT 1,346,792 :.3' I 1 Ju1 13-, 1920 Bergman 1,702,673. Ringler Feb. 19,1929" 2,081,177 Hope May-25,';' 193"7 2,325,214- Amberg July27, 19,43 2,325,27-1710? Rothe et a1. July ='27, 1943 

